AUSTRALIA

The abolitionist lawyer Julian McMahon and the refugee advocate Paris Aristotle have been recognised in this year’s Queen’s birthday honours list. Julian McMahon, a Melbourne barrister, has been appointed a companion of the Order of Australia for his dedication to defending human rights, in particular advocating for defendants facing the death penalty.

The Victorian Government issued its response to the 2015 Access to Justice Review. The new focus on increasing the capacity of Victorian CLCs to access pro bono assistance is welcome. Amongst other measures, the Department of Justice will review the availability and operation of disbursements funding for pro bono cases. Also of significance are points relating to the role of Legal Aid and the Victoria Law Foundation.

University of Wollongong law students are leading community efforts to support Illawarra refugees and their families. This will support the work of Ann Woods, Wollongong’s only registered migration lawyer who does pro bono work with clients from refugee backgrounds. Each student will be assigned a family and will commit to spending one evening a week providing clerical assistance with the completion of forms for family reunification and citizenship.

Legal Aid and private law firms working pro bono are partnering with hospitals to provide holistic care for patients. They’ve helped speed up paperwork for a patient undergoing gender transition, and assisted a woman with multiple sclerosis who lost her job and was facing eviction.

Following the strong response by UK lawyers to the Manchester Arena attack, London solicitors are now offering free legal advice to victims and families of Saturday’s London Bridge attack. Good pro bono stuff.

CrowdJustice is a Kickstarter for legal cases in the public interest that aims to improve on generic crowdfunding platforms by seeing the legal process all the way through. CrowdJustice manages the proceedings closely. It works to ensure a lawyer has been hired and monitors how donations are spent.

Manchester Law Society has received an ‘overwhelming’ response in the last 48 hours to its plea for pro bono advice and representation for families and seriously injured people following Monday’s attack on the Manchester Arena.